Man arrested on pill trafficking charges

 

A 47-year-old Marathon man was arrested Thursday after a passerby reported seeing him counting pills at a gas station.

 

Johnnie Leatherwood was charged with two counts of trafficking in Oxycodone, possession of drug paraphernalia and tampering with evidence.

 

Middle Keys Capt. Don Hiller and Deputy Frank Westerband responded to the Valero gas station, 7301 Overseas Highway, about 12:25 p.m. after the Sheriff’s Office received a report of a suspicious man counting pills in a vehicle.

 

Capt. Hiller arrived first and found the suspect, identified as Leatherwood. Capt. Hiller and Westerband told Leatherwood to keep his hands out of his pockets, but Leatherwood continued to put his hands in his pockets and eventually threw a beverage koozie, a neck lanyard, a cell phone and an orange pill bottle onto the front passenger seat of the vehicle he was previously in. Leatherwood also took out $650 in cash from another pocket.

 

Capt. Hiller and Deputy Westerband took Leatherwood into custody.

 

Leatherwood spontaneously stated: “I am going to jail for possession of a controlled substance.”

 

In all, Leatherwood was found to be in possession of a total of 104 Oxycodone pills.

 

Leatherwood was taken to jail.

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